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A BRITISH ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE OF LEXING- 
TON ; AND THE LAST MEETING IN THE DOWSE 
LIBRARY AT No. 30 TREMONT ST., BOSTON. 



At a meeting of the Massachusetts Historical 
Society, held in Boston, on April 8, 1897, Dr. 
Samuel A. Green made the following remarks : — 

In connection with the memorable events of April 19, 1775, 
I will read the following copy of a letter written soon after 
that date by an English officer of rank stationed in Boston to 
the venerable Cadwallader Golden, of New York. Necessarily 
his information, however inaccurate it may have been, was 
picked up from hearsay, as he took no part in the deeds of that 
day. Naturally it differs much from the accepted accounts of 
the expedition, and without doubt was gathered from the 
various reports in circulation at the time. In our army during 
the late Rebellion tales based on mere rumors of the camp 
were known as " sink stories." Occasionall}', however, such 
reports, inexact as they may be, throw rays of side light, and 
help to clear up doubts and uncertainties ; and for that reason 
they have an interest, if not a value. 

The writer of the letter, Lieutenant-Colonel Abercrombie, 
was mortally wounded while storming the works on Bunker 
Hill at the head of the grenadiers, and died on June 24. He 
was a gallant officer, and a brother of General Sir Ralph 
Abercrombie. Mr. Frothingham, in his " History of the Siege 
of Boston" (p. 195), says: "When the men were bearing him 



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away from the field, l>e begged them to spare his old friend 
Putnam. ' If you take General Putnam alive,' he said, 'don't 
hang him ; for he 's a brave man.' " In Trumbull's well-known 
painting of the battle, Colonel Abercrombie is represented as 
having fallen on the ground in the heat of the action, where 
he is lying near General Warren. 

To the courtesy of ex-Governor John D. Long, now the 
Secretary of the Navy, I am indebted for a copy of the letter 
which is given below : — 

Navy Department, Office of the Secretart, 
Washington, March 31, 1897. 

Dear Doctor, — I enclose you copy of a letter written soon after 
the Battle of Lexington, giving the British view. The original is in 
the possession of General Ruggles, who is now the Adjutant-General 
of the U. S. Army. 

Very truly yours, 

John D. Long. 
Dr. Samuel Abbott Green, 

Librarian, Massacliusetts Historical Society, 
Boston, Massacliusetts. 

Boston May 2d 1775 
Dear Sir, — I arrived here the 23d Aprile, & was much Surprised 
to find the town Blockaded, by the Asia I suppose Genl Gage will 
send you an Authentick Coppy of what happened on the 19th I have 
made the Strictest enquiry amongst the OfBcers and can assure you upon 
honor, that not One Shott was fired by any of the troops, till three men 
at Lexington fired on Our Men a Sergt a Soldier & Major Pitcairns 
Horse were wounded by those three Shotts, Our Men destroyed 
Some Gun Carriages, three Guns and some flour at Concord, & no 
hostilitys or rather Shotts were exchanged untill the return of four 
Companys of Light Infantry who were advanced three miles beyond 
Concord, on their return, on a Bridge within a mile of Concord they 
saw two of the Light Infantry extended on the Bridge one of them 
was Scalped and had his Ears and Nose Cut off tho' not dead, the 
moment the Light Infantry & Grenadeers began to retreat they were 
fired on from every House and fense along the Road for fifteen Miles, 
I cannot commend the behaviour of Our Soldiers on their retreat. As 
they began to plunder & payed no obediance to their Officers, fortunately 
for the Grenadeers & Light Infantry Lord Percys Brigade were Ordered 
Out to support them or the flower of this Army would all have been 
cut off. 

By report they have thirty peices of Cannon and two Mortars at 
Cambridge, altho' they threaten yet I cannot believe they will raise 



Battyries against the Town, if they do I am certain I can take them, 
the Whigs are all leaving town & such of the Torys as pleases Come in, 
but they are few. Parties run as high as ever they did in Cromwels 
time, & was there not a Red Coat in the Country they would cut one 
anothers throats. 

I cannot pretend to say what Our Generals will do, but I think it is 
in the power of the Congress to prevent the horrors of a civil War 

The Colony of Connecticut have sent two of their Assembly with a 
letter to the General the purport of the letter is to prevent hostilities 
& hoping a method of pacification may yet be adopted. 

I am sorry to hear the Phreuzy of the people has shewn itself in 
your Province, as a particular mark of distinction was Shewn them 
in the Fishing Bill I flattered myself they would have been quiet. 

The Whigs have plundered the Houses of Judge Auchmuty Col. 
Vassals, & Hatches, and Captain Lorings, what other devastations they 
have committed We have not heard. 

I am glad to hear you are in good health and I have the honor to be 
Dear Sir 

your most Obedient humble Servant 

James Aberceombie 

Lt Col 22rf Regt. 

P. S. Since writing the above I am appointed Adjutant General. 

Lt. Gov Golden 
New York. 



To-day for the last time the Historical Society meets in this 
room, and the occasion seems to justify a few remarks by the 
sole survivor of the original Building Committee. A full 
period of twenty-five years has elapsed since the last meeting 
was held in the former building which stood on this site ; and 
at that time some of the older members indulged in various 
reminiscences, which are always a prerogative of age. It was 
then thought that the Society would remain here for an in- 
definite period, — certainly much longer than the quarter of a 
century that has since passed ; but human judgment is often at 
fault, and liable to err. At the exercises on the re-opening of 
the Dowse Library, Mr. Winthrop alluded to uhe fact that the 
Society had been in possession of the site for just forty years, 
and he expressed the hope that another term of at least forty 
years might still be enjoyed in security ; but the exigencies 
of the times have decreed otherwise, and tlie estate has now 
been sold. 



LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 



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The Dowse room, as we see it to-day, in form and dimensions 
is the exact counterpart of the corresponding room in the old 
building, though with a few slight changes in its internal 
arrangements. The library, here contained, is a collection of 
choice bool<s of miscellaneous literature, all richly bound iu 
calf or morocco, and comprising 4,665 volumes. No provision 
for its increase was made by the giver, and for this i-eason it is 
not susceptible of growth. In the building soon to be erected, 
it is the intention of the Committee to reproduce this room 
again in similar form and of the same dimensions, so that it 
may still continue as a lasting memorial of Mr. Dowse's 
generosity. It is hoped that the new building will serve as a 
home for the Society during a long period of years ; but as 
human hopes are so apt to be disappointing, I shall refrain 
from prediction. 

For some of us the tender associations which crowd this 
room do not come from mere lapse of time, but from the great 
and noble men who have sat around the table here, as they 
were wont to gather either by chance or for some special 
study. The meetings of the Societ}' have been dignified by 
the presence of members eminent in all the walks of life, — in 
literature, statecraft, the arts and sciences, the learned pro- 
fessions, business affairs, and in numerous other pursuits 
of a scholarly community. It is needless to name them, 
as their memory is still fresh in our minds. 

It seems but a little while ago when the Society was dis- 
cussing designs for a new structure, and passing through that 
uncertain state which always precedes the adoption of a final 
plan, similar to the condition of affairs in which we find our- 
selves at present, and yet a quarter of a century has elapsed 
since that time. The four other members of the Building 
Committee died many years ago, and all within a period of a 
few weeks more than a year. It may be worthy of note that 
one of that Committee, Mr. Erastns B. Bigelow, gave the 
carpet now on this iloor, which was the product of one of 
his own looms at Clinton, and has been in constant use since 
the Annual Meeting, on April 10, 1873. 



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